"The poison is contained in everything. Only the dose matters"
Paracelsus, 1493-1541, the founder of toxicology

PROLOGUE
An excerpt from an article in the World Encyclopedia (2228 edition; e. page 893): "... The state of the planet's climate system in the 20th and 21st centuries affected its surface, oceans, ice sheets and atmosphere. Some of the trends that emerged then were already irreversible. Over time, the problems worsened and very quickly began to affect the Earth's biosphere. Thus, plants, under the influence of negative factors, modified their structure and became poisonous, which led to the extinction of most of the fauna species, except for those who managed to adapt just as quickly. In the case of the planet's population, the issue was solved by replacing artificial elements in the diet. Chemical and biological enterprises have developed and continue to develop numerous options for replacing natural proteins, fats, carbohydrates, etc.
Since oxygen synthesis is not yet possible for the entire planet, all kinds of plants continue to grow in four zones of the Earth – Amazonia, Siberia, Southern Indochina and the equatorial zone of Africa. The zones are limited by Closed perimeters and are guarded by special forces to prevent the entry or export of natural representatives of flora or fauna from them.
The law establishes penalties for the export, storage or consumption of any kind of food from oxygen zones..."
    
The buzz of the street door sounded unnaturally harsh this time. He was not expecting guests because he had never had any. Strangely enough, my heart did not skip a beat and my breath did not catch. His fingers rather automatically ran over his uniform. 
- Yes?
- Andrzej Borok? – It came from the intercom.
- That's right.
- Open it. The special police of the city economic supervision.
He went to the panoramic window. His right hand smoothed his prematurely graying hair.
"Open it," the voice did not tremble.
With a soft rustle, the door panel moved aside and seven people in dark blue uniforms entered the room. In front of them is a man with the yellow stripes of a sergeant and on his right hand is a young man with the silver stripes of a city judge of the II rank. The other five, privates, were positioned in a semicircle behind them.
- Andrzej Borok, captain of the 24th Company of the Special Perimeter Protection Troops?  The sergeant spoke up.
He nodded curtly.
The judge stepped forward:
- You are charged under article number twelve twenty–four point one three - illegal delivery through the Restricted Area of natural elements. And also under article number twelve twenty–four point two six - concealment and storage of natural plants. Do you admit the charges?
 The captain nodded and moved away from the window. 
There was no point in hiding anything: if the special police came to your house, it means they have indisputable evidence. It was just interesting.: Were they waiting for him to return from a two-month business trip in the Southwestern part of the Restrictive Zone, or did information appear during these two days while he was at home? But such questions were not supposed to be asked, and it was pointless – the special police did not explain where he was lit up or who informed.
There were three shallow bowls of earth on the windowsill. In one of them, catching the rays of the setting sun, many flowers with blue petals grew.  The other two have two sprouts each. Andrzej was just transplanting plants when the buzzer sounded, and there were still remnants of soil on his fingers. For several years in a row, he collected it in small portions at the places of his business trips and sent it to his address by special mail, which was not inspected. Sometimes it turned out to be mixed with artificial food additives and transported in luggage through eco-surveillance inspections. 
The sergeant pointed the detector at the plants.
- Genus iridodictium, family Iris, Iris reticulata, - the inanimate voice of the computer said.
 The sergeant looked at the captain. - Do you admit your guilt?
"I admit it," he replied clearly.
- Fixed. The punishment is life–long work at an oil refinery or mining plant. But, considering that you are an officer, you are given a choice…
Andrzej Borok, captain of the 24th company of the Special Perimeter Protection Troops, stretched out a rough man's palm to the blue petals, sighed and gently stroked them. Then he stretched out as if on parade and rapped out:
- A choice!
- It is fixed, - the sergeant saluted and turned to the judge, - I confirm the voluntary choice of Andrzej Borok. You can proceed with the execution of the punishment.
The judge took an injector from his belt bag. The captain calmly took it from the judge's hands, brought it to his neck and pressed the trigger. After a moment, his eyes rolled back and his body sagged heavily to the floor.
The judge took the device out of his lifeless hands, checked his pulse and nodded: - You can clean it up!

THE EPILOGUE
The privates, having collected the earth with flowers in airtight containers, left the apartment. The sergeant left with the paramedics who took the captain's body. The judge headed for the exit, preparing the sealing device, when his attention was attracted by a silvery glare on the table at the entrance to the bathroom.  A small blue flower, no bigger than a finger, was wrapped in a foil bag. The young man reached out his hand, as the captain had done before, and touched the delicate petals. His fingers froze for a moment, a shadow of a smile flashed across his lips, and, carefully wrapping the corners of the package so as not to scatter the earth, the judge carefully put the living sprout into his uniform jacket and left the apartment.